Tuesday, June 14, 2016

The Trump Card

There is a phenomenon sweeping the U.S. right now. It has bad hair, bad manners and a bad fake tan that resembles that of an Oompa Loompa. And it's name is Donald Trump.

I have to say I just don't get the Trump appeal. People say they support him because he is not a politician. He is also a racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynistic narcissist, but apparently they are able to overlook that.

Let me say that I am not pro-Hilary Clinton. I have many issues with her as well. And Bernie Sanders has apparently taken a break from reality. If Donald Trump has a list of vice presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders' name should be at the top as he is doing wonders to insure that Trump will be our next president.

Common sense and reality have taken a back seat in this country in the last couple of years. Apparently it has now opened the door and jumped out of the car.

There is a reason he began dropping out of the debates as the Republican field narrowed. There is a reason he backed out of debating Bernie Sanders. It is because he is all talk with no real plan of action behind it.

Trump claims he will go into the Middle East and take on ISIS. Exactly how he is planning to do that is a complete guess, but if he intends to do a Rambo and send U.S. troops in alone, the consequences will be a disaster.

The Middle East has been a notoriously unstable region throughout history, yet for any foreign country to go in unprovoked, regardless of their intentions, will be seen as an invasion by not only the Middle East, but likely by the rest of the free world as well. All this will succeed in doing is turn the entire region against the U.S., including friendly nations such as Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. And if you think that any of our allies like Great Britain, Canada and Australia will back a U.S invasion of the Middle East, you are off in LaLa Land with Bernie.

Secondly, if we learned any lessons from the Vietnam War, there is something to be said about winning the hearts and minds of the people in a oppressed region. The people of the Middle East are exposed to the violence that ISIS perpetrates far more than anyone in the West. But to come into their homelands unprovoked and uninvited, destroying their villages and killing civilians in an attempt to weed out terrorists will do nothing more than turn their contempt for ISIS into support, as it did with the Viet Cong in Vietnam. We will be only be proving ISIS' claims that the West is determined to destroy Islam and its people if Trump gets his way.

I find it amusing that Trump has gone after Bill Clinton for his extra-marital affairs. Not that I am defending Bill Clinton--I find what he did repulsive. But for Trump to go after Clinton when he himself was fooling around with the second Mrs. Trump while married to the first Mrs. Trump, and then cheat on the second Mrs. Trump, is the ultimate example of the pot calling the kettle black. And as for Hilary Clinton being an "enabler" in her husband's affairs, Trump should know. He was apparently married to a couple of enablers himself.

And Donald's going to build a wall. To keep out all of those Mexican rapists. And he will get Mexico to pay for it and they will be happy about it.

This is a country where 42 percent of its citizens live below the poverty line. There biggest export is the illegal drug trade. And Trump believes they will happily hand over an estimated $2.4 billion (and this is a conservative estimate) to build a wall. That figure does not include the cost of maintaining said wall, nor does it cover patrolling and monitoring all 2,000 miles of it, which will be virtually impossible to do.

Trump makes me nervous. And if I am nervous, the rest of the free world is outright terrified about what would happen if Trump makes it to the White House. I read an article recently with quotes from various world leaders about Donald Trump. All of them questioned his character, stability and qualifications. The Swedish prime minister actually said that if Trump is elected, we should all head for the bunkers.

Even if you point this out, his supporters will not care. They do not care that he supported Hilary Clinton's senatorial runs. They will not care that he went from being pro-choice to advocating criminal charges against women who have abortions. They will not care that there is no substance to what he says, no clear plan or agenda for this country, that has made it fashionable to once again be a racist, or that he changes his mind faster than you can apply to Trump University. Don't get your hopes up waiting for that acceptance letter.

The man could fly to Italy and assassinate the Pope in front of thousands of people in the middle of St. Peter's Square, and his supporters would not only get him off of the murder charges but would also still vote for him as president. They would also start a campaign for his canonization to sainthood. Never mind that he is not Catholic. And still alive.

The bottom line is that, even though I am not a fan of Hilary Clinton, I refuse to vote for a man who believes that all blacks are criminals, all Mexicans are rapists, all Muslims are terrorists, and women are nothing more than pigs, dogs and objects to be judged by their appearance alone. Making America "great" again should not involve stepping back 50 years to a time where violence, bigotry an out and out contempt for others based solely on race, religion or gender are part of what is considered a great society.

United we stand, divided we fall. His only clear plan for this country is playing on the fear, ignorance, stereotypes and innuendos of those citizens who are angry or misinformed to attain another "asset." And the White House would be the ultimate feather in Donald Trump's cap. We should not be electing a president whose only agenda seems to divide us further and lead us stumbling blindly, and alone, into a world that is rapidly and unpredictably changing.

Many people believe that he is the "Trump Card" that will fix what ails this country. As for me, this is one hand that I will not play.